55010580
Supplier number:
The Huawei ME909u-521 (ME909E) is an LTE module with a 145-pin LGA form factor, supporting seven(!) LTE FDD-bands. Quad-band DC-HSPA+ and quad-band GPRS/EDGE for European network coverage is included as fall-back.
This module is part of Huawei's new LGA family, including MU509 (HSDPA), MU609 (HSPA+) and ME909 (LTE) which are all pin-to-pin compatible to enable a clear and easy path for future integration. This makes the integration of any one of these modules very future-proof.
With their ultra-compact design and extended operating temperature range, ME909 and it's siblings are the perfect platform for any M2M application.
This ME909u-521 module has the form factor LGA. For the same module with form factor mPCIe please refer to our article 10105 Huawei ME909u-521 Mini PCI Express - EU/ASIA
Please check out our article 10218 Huawei ME909u-521 developer kit for test and development.
What Linux kernel modules and configs are commonly used for communicating with cellular modules over their USB interface?
Most cellular modules can be supported in Linux by using som of the in-kernel drivers. The physical data interface to the host Linux system is usually done over USB which enumerates a set of different endpoints/interfaces. A set of serial interfaces for Modem/PPP, AT commands, NMEA location data and chipset debug information are almost always available in all configurations.
In addition some type of network endpoint/interface are also available and exposed. This can vary between manufacturers and chipset vendors and can also commonly be configurable by using USB configuration mode switching or through vendor specific AT commands.
Recommended kernel configurations to enable are listed bellow. Many cellular modules base their Linux support on these modules and drivers. Once included in the kernel build, the USB interfaces will be detected and bound correctly out-of-the-box or after applying source code patches to the driver modules.
Configs for USB serial drivers:
CONFIG_USB_SERIAL
CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_GENERIC
CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_WWAN
CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_OPTION
CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_QUALCOMM
CONFIG_USB_ACM
Configs for Modem/PPP support:
CONFIG_PPP
CONFIG_PPP_BSDCOMP
CONFIG_PPP_DEFLATE
CONFIG_PPP_FILTER
CONFIG_PPP_MPPE
CONFIG_PPP_MULTILINK
CONFIG_PPPOE
CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC
CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY
Configs for USB network drivers:
CONFIG_USB_USBNET
CONFIG_USB_NET_QMI_WWAN
CONFIG_USB_NET_CDCETHER
CONFIG_USB_NET_RNDIS_HOST
CONFIG_USB_NET_CDC_NCM
CONFIG_USB_NET_HUAWEI_CDC_NCM
CONFIG_USB_NET_CDC_MBIM
Please relate to the Techship product specific web pages for vendor specific Linux integration guides.
Below is a selection of kernel commits relating to cellular module support in Linux kernels:
qmi_wwan: Add support for Fibocom NL678 series
qmi_wwan: Added support for Telit LN940 series
qmi_wwan: Added support for Fibocom NL668 series
USB: serial: option: add support for GosunCn ME3630 RNDIS mode
USB: serial: option: add support for Simcom SIM7500/SIM7600 RNDIS mode
USB: serial: option: add Simcom SIM7500/SIM7600 (MBIM mode)
USB: serial: option: add Fibocom NL678 series
USB: serial: option: add Telit LN940 series
USB: serial: option: add Fibocom NL668 series
USB: serial: option: add GosunCn ZTE WeLink ME3630
qmi_wwan: apply SET_DTR quirk to the SIMCOM shared device ID
If you use any of the listed cellular modules, drivers and specified USB modes in the commits above, ensure that your kernel version already include the patch or apply it to your build.
How-to guide: How can we control, configure and establish a simple data connection for a cellular module in Linux systems using the open source ModemManager tool for modem control and connection management.
ModemManager is a open source tool for Linux that can be used to communicate with cellular devices for configuration, status check, connection triggering etc. It is capable of communicate over several types of device control channels such as QMI/RMNET, MBIM, MODEM / AT command etc.
It is hosted by the Freedesktop.org community and driven by Aleksander Morgado and other contributors, please visit https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/ModemManager/ for latest information, source code, API reference manuals, debugging tips, contribution, mailing list etc.
Keep in mind that ModemManager is not directly developed or driven by cellular device vendors and the compatibility cannot be guaranteed for the specific device you aim to use. Some vendors contribute with code to make their devices fully compatible, while others don't. However many cellular devices can be set to expose standardized types of USB network interface and control channel such as MBIM interface by USB-IF or the Qualcomm proprietary interface QMI that ModemManager will try to identify, and often manage to work successfully with.
Before continuing with ModemManager, a good thing to ensure is that you have common Linux driver modules available in your kernel build.
You can compare your own systems kernel config with the ones listed in the following FAQ:
Common Linux kernel modules and configs necessary for communicating with cellular modules over USB interface
Selections of these are commonly used by cellular devices and need to be available in order to have device drivers correctly loaded when devices are detected.
Start by installing ModemManager and its dependencies to your Linux system.
You can build it from source code release tarball found at freedesktop.org (install instructions included in the archive)
If you have a package manager in your Linux distribution, it can usually be installed through them also.
E.g. on Ubuntu using apt to install it and related dependencies:
apt install modemmanager libmbim-utils libqmi-utils
Keep in mind that Linux distributions sometimes rely on fairly old releases in their repositories and the development of ModemManager, libqmi and libmbim are on-going continuously. So is also the development of the cellular devices when the cellular technologies evolve. It is therefore recommended that you have a fairly recent version of ModemManager, libqmi and libmbim running in your system as well as when it comes to kernel version since the driver modules sometimes acquire patch fixes to be compatible with new chipset features etc.
Check Freedesktop.org pages for details on the latest ModemManager, NetworkManager, Libqmi and Libmbim releases.
Once you've installed ModemManager and rebooted your system, the service daemon should be running already in background.
Mmcli is the related command line interface tool which can be used to interact with ModemManager daemon through command line commands.
Check the version by command:
mmcli -V
<< mmcli 1.13.0
<< Copyright (2011 - 2020) Aleksander Morgado
<< License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later
<< This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
<< There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
Print general mmcli help message:
mmcli --help
ModemManager normally listen, probes and detects cellular devices automatically when operating correctly but a forced scan can be triggered with command:
mmcli --scan-modems
<< successfully requested to scan devices
To list detected cellular devices use command:
mmcli --list-modems
<< /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 [Sierra Wireless, Incorporated] MC7455
Here ModemManager have detected a Sierra Wireless cellular device and it has here been given the the identifier number 0 by ModemManager.
To acquire more device information and status use the --modem command and identifier value.
mmcli --modem=0
<< -----------------------------
<< General | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0
<< | device id: 3a2f5fad8e91dbf417694f23165017c1f8a6e061
<< -----------------------------
<< Hardware | manufacturer: Sierra Wireless, Incorporated
<< | model: MC7455
<< | firmware revision: SWI9X30C_02.32.11.00 r8042 CARMD-EV-FRMWR2 2019/05/15 21:52:20
<< | carrier config: default
<< | h/w revision: 1.0
<< | supported: gsm-umts, lte
<< | current: gsm-umts, lte
<< | equipment id: 359072066171840
<< -----------------------------
<< System | device: /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb3/3-2
<< | drivers: qcserial, qmi_wwan
<< | plugin: sierra
<< | primary port: cdc-wdm0
<< | ports: cdc-wdm0 (qmi), wwan1 (net), ttyUSB2 (at), wwan0 (net),
<< | cdc-wdm1 (qmi), ttyUSB1 (gps), ttyUSB0 (qcdm)
<< -----------------------------
<< Status | lock: sim-pin
<< | unlock retries: sim-pin (3), sim-puk (10), sim-pin2 (0), sim-puk2 (10)
<< | state: locked
<< | power state: on
<< | signal quality: 0% (cached)
<< -----------------------------
<< Modes | supported: allowed: 3g; preferred: none
<< | allowed: 4g; preferred: none
<< | allowed: 3g, 4g; preferred: 4g
<< | allowed: 3g, 4g; preferred: 3g
<< | current: allowed: 3g, 4g; preferred: 4g
<< -----------------------------
<< Bands | supported: utran-1, utran-3, utran-4, utran-5, utran-8, utran-2,
<< | eutran-1, eutran-2, eutran-3, eutran-4, eutran-5, eutran-7, eutran-8,
<< | eutran-12, eutran-13, eutran-20, eutran-25, eutran-26, eutran-29,
<< | eutran-30, eutran-41
<< | current: utran-1, utran-3, utran-4, utran-5, utran-8, utran-2,
<< | eutran-1, eutran-2, eutran-3, eutran-4, eutran-5, eutran-7, eutran-8,
<< | eutran-12, eutran-13, eutran-20, eutran-25, eutran-26, eutran-29,
<< | eutran-30, eutran-41
<< -----------------------------
<< IP | supported: ipv4, ipv6, ipv4v6
<< -----------------------------
<< SIM | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/SIM/0
A detailed summary of device status, configs and system drivers, paths and IDs are returned.
Currently the device status indicates that inserted SIM card is PIN locked, so a unlock by --pin command is necessary:
mmcli --modem=0 --sim=0 --pin=****
<< successfully sent PIN code to the SIM
Now we can change device state to enabled using command:
mmcli --modem=0 --enable
<< successfully enabled the modem
if we're check device status again we can see that device:
mmcli --modem=0
…
<< --------------------------------
<< Status | lock: sim-puk2
<< | unlock retries: sim-pin (3), sim-puk (10), sim-pin2 (0), sim-puk2 (10)
<< | state: registered
<< | power state: on
<< | access tech: lte
<< | signal quality: 96% (recent)
…
<< 3GPP | imei: 359072066171840
<< | operator id: 24002
<< | operator name: 3
<< | registration: home
<< --------------------------------
<< 3GPP EPS | ue mode of operation: csps-2
<< --------------------------------
<< SIM | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/SIM/0
The status output shows that devices is registered in network using LTE technology with a good signal strength.
It is now time to activate the data connection with --simple-connect command.
ModemManager will tie the data bearer for our given subscription APN to the qmi_wwan network interface, typically named wwan0 (unless renamed by Linux distribution or user)
Fill in the details as below but for your modem number, subscription APN and the IP type it can work with (ipv4 / ipv6 ipv4v6)
mmcli -m 0 --simple-connect='apn=data.tre.se,ip-type=ipv4v6'
<< successfully connected the modem
if we check modem status again we can see that a bearer have been established.
mmcli --modem=0
…
<< --------------------------------
<< Bearer | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Bearer/0
…
The bearer have got identifier number 0 so we can request more details for it to acquire the IP details:
mmcli --modem=0 --bearer=0
<< ------------------------------------
<< General | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Bearer/0
<< | type: default
<< ------------------------------------
<< Status | connected: yes
<< | suspended: no
<< | interface: wwan1
<< | ip timeout: 20
<< ------------------------------------
<< Properties | apn: data.tre.se
<< | roaming: allowed
<< | ip type: ipv4v6
<< ------------------------------------
<< IPv4 configuration | method: static
<< | address: 2.68.206.100
<< | prefix: 29
<< | gateway: 2.68.206.101
<< | dns: 80.251.201.177, 80.251.201.178
<< | mtu: 1500
<< ------------------------------------
<< IPv6 configuration | method: static
<< | address: 2a02:aa1:1010:b6bb:6d12:d0dc:978e:3982
<< | prefix: 64
<< | gateway: 2a02:aa1:1010:b6bb:21ea:c721:62c3:9760
<< | dns: 2a02:aa0::55, 2a02:aa0::56
<< | mtu: 1500
<< ------------------------------------
<< Statistics | duration: 450
<< | bytes rx: 6693
<< | attempts: 1
<< | total-duration: 450
<< | total-bytes rx: 6693
From here we can see the IP details we've been assigned by the cellular network.
ModemManager does not assign IPv4 address details to the cellular modules network interface in Linux by itself.
When ModemManager is used in conjunction with NetworkManager and the cellular connection is managed by it, then the IPv4 address details will be collected by NetworkManager through ModemManager and automatically assigned to network interface when connection is established.
If the system does not implement NetworkManager, then the IP and routing configuration needs to be handled by user software/scripting.
Example:
Enable network interface in Linux:
ip link set wwan0 up
Set the IPv4 address acquired from bearer information above, the CIDR subnet mask can always be set to 32:
ip addr add 2.68.206.100/32 dev wwan0
Disable ARP:
ip link set dev wwan0 arp off
Set MTU value acquired from network:
ip link set dev wwan0 mtu 1500
Add a default or other type of route to the cellular network device (e.g. with a metric to set which route to prefer)
ip route add default dev wwan0 metric 200
Add the DNS servers reported by cellular network or use other public/desired ones.
DNS server addresses are handled in different ways depending on the Linux distribution and network manager used. Therefore please refer to related dist documentation for best practice to add / maintain DNS server addresses in your specific system.
sh -c "echo 'nameserver 80.251.201.177' >> /etc/resolv.conf"
sh -c "echo 'nameserver 80.251.201.178' >> /etc/resolv.conf"
We should now have a network interface passing data successfully, we can try it out by doing ping requests:
IPv4 data:
ping -4 -c 4 -I wwan0 8.8.8.8
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) from 2.68.206.100 wwan0: 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=57 time=50.8 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=57 time=48.8 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=57 time=24.0 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=4 ttl=57 time=44.8 ms
--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3005ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 23.979/42.115/50.840/10.694 ms
IPv6 data:
ping -6 -c 4 -I wwan0 2600::
PING 2600::(2600::) from 2a02:aa1:1010:b6bb:8962:7405:b81c:7627 wwan0: 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=179 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=2 ttl=47 time=176 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=3 ttl=47 time=175 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=4 ttl=47 time=177 ms
--- 2600:: ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3004ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 175.411/176.935/179.268/1.446 ms
How to use NetworkManager and ModemManager in Linux to automatically establish a cellular data connection and configure IP details?
Using NetworkManager and ModemManager in Linux to automatically establish a connection and configure IP details
In this FAQ we will show how to set up NetworkManager to automatically configure, establish the cellular data connection in your system.
NetworkManager and ModemManager are open source tool for Linux to manage several types of networks and interfaces such as ethernet, wifi, etc. It can also manage cellular WWAN interfaces through the ModemManager tool.
It is hosted by the Freedesktop.org community and driven by Aleksander Morgado and other contributors. please visit https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/NetworkManager and https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/ModemManager/ for latest information, source code, API reference manuals, debugging tips, contribution, mailing list etc.
ModemManager is capable of communicating over several types of device control channels such as QMI/RMNET, MBIM, MODEM / AT command etc. But support for vendor proprietary or out-of-kernel drivers are none or very limited. Such drivers are gobinet, simcom_wwan and other drivers provided by the vendors directly.
Many Linux distributions have NetworkManager and ModemManager pre-installed or they can typically easily be installed through the systems package manager.
In Ubuntu for example apt can install it for you by command if not already installed:
apt install network-manager
Check with commands below that you have both tools installed in system and their versions.
NetworkManager -V
ModemManager -V
ModemManager (and NetworkManager) are continuously developed for better compatibility with the cellular devices, therefore it is recommend to use a recent version of the tools and in case of problem situations, evaluate the latest versions from source and check the mailing list archives for possible discussions on the problem experienced.
Keep in mind that NetworkManager and ModemManager projects are not directly developed or driven by the cellular device vendors and the compatibility with the device you aim to use can be limited. Some vendors contribute with code to make their devices fully compatible, while others don't. Many cellular devices can be set to expose standardized types of USB network interface and control channel such as MBIM interface by USB-IF or the Qualcomm proprietary interface QMI that ModemManager will try to identify, and often manage to work successfully with but there are exceptions also.
Both NetworkManager and ModemManager have command line interfaces (nmcli and mmcli respectively) where you can interact with the management tools.
Relate to the following FAQ if you want more details for using ModemManager only to configure and control the cellular device but manually establish, maintain the connection and network interface IP address details.
How-to guide: control and set up a data connection in Linux using ModemManager as connection manager?
Have ModemManager list all the cellular device it has detected. Here we use the Alcatel IK41 series with MBIM interface in this example:
mmcli --list-modems
/org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 [Alcatel] Mobilebroadband
General details and status of them modem can be listed with "--modem" option.
mmcli --modem=0
-----------------------------
General | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0
| device id: 998e478c5b14c75e16bffe6abaacabef22fb2f5b
-----------------------------
Hardware | manufacturer: Alcatel
| model: Mobilebroadband
| firmware revision: MPSS.JO.2.0.2.c1.7-00004-9607_
| carrier config: default
| h/w revision: 0
| supported: gsm-umts, lte
| current: gsm-umts, lte
| equipment id:
-----------------------------
System | device: /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb3/3-1
| drivers: option1, cdc_mbim
| plugin: Generic
| primary port: cdc-wdm0
| ports: cdc-wdm0 (mbim), ttyUSB0 (at), ttyUSB2 (at), wwan0 (net),
| ttyUSB1 (qcdm)
-----------------------------
Status | lock: sim-pin
| unlock retries: sim-pin (3)
| state: locked
| power state: on
| signal quality: 0% (cached)
-----------------------------
Modes | supported: allowed: 2g; preferred: none
| allowed: 3g; preferred: none
| allowed: 4g; preferred: none
| allowed: 2g, 3g; preferred: 3g
| allowed: 2g, 3g; preferred: 2g
| allowed: 2g, 4g; preferred: 4g
| allowed: 2g, 4g; preferred: 2g
| allowed: 3g, 4g; preferred: 3g
| allowed: 3g, 4g; preferred: 4g
| allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: 4g
| allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: 3g
| allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: 2g
| current: allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: 2g
-----------------------------
Bands | supported: egsm, dcs, pcs, g850, utran-1, utran-8, eutran-1, eutran-3,
| eutran-7, eutran-8, eutran-20, eutran-28
| current: egsm, dcs, pcs, g850, utran-1, utran-8, eutran-1, eutran-3,
| eutran-7, eutran-8, eutran-20, eutran-28
-----------------------------
IP | supported: ipv4, ipv6, ipv4v6
-----------------------------
SIM | dbus path: /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/SIM/0
Check that the cellular device is managed by NetworkManager by not having state "unmanaged" listed for it.
nmcli device status
DEVICE TYPE STATE CONNECTION
cdc-wdm0 gsm disconnected --
enp3s0 ethernet unmanaged --
lo loopback unmanaged --
Now you should create a connection profile in NetworkManager for your specific network carrier and SIM card with the "nmcli connection add" command:
For example:
nmcli connection add type gsm ifname '*' con-name '3-sweden' apn 'data.tre.se' connection.autoconnect yes gsm.pin 0000
- type is gsm for all typical cellular connections unless it is of cdma type.
- ifname is the control interface name, in this case cdc-wdm0, wildcard can be used also to have it autoselect.
- con-name is the profile name you want to give it.
- apn is provided by your network carrier and tells the modem what attach point it should use for the data connection.
- connection.autoconnect set to yes will make NetworkManager always try to auto connect and maintain this profile connection.
- gsm.pin lets you provide a pin code for the SIM card, that NetworkManager will try to use if PIN check is enabled for SIM card.
There are several additional commands and attributes available such as username and password settings for the APNs etc. Refer to the NetworkManager help and manual pages for full details on the commands.
If successful you should receive a reply similar to this one:
Connection '3-sweden' (cad6fcbf-2cb1-4796-b7e6-67b9f9635aef) successfully added.
You can check the status now by command:
nmcli device status
DEVICE TYPE STATE CONNECTION
cdc-wdm0 gsm connected 3-sweden
enp3s0 ethernet unmanaged --
lo loopback unmanaged --
Where connected should be listed as state if the connection establishment was successful.
If the connection is not successful or you want more details about the device and connection you can check commands:
You can list the current status with command:
nmcli radio
WIFI-HW WIFI WWAN-HW WWAN
enabled enabled enabled enabled
nmcli device show cdc-wdm
GENERAL.DEVICE: cdc-wdm0
GENERAL.TYPE: gsm
GENERAL.HWADDR: (unknown)
GENERAL.MTU: 1500
GENERAL.STATE: 100 (connected)
GENERAL.CONNECTION: 3-sweden
GENERAL.CON-PATH: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/18
IP4.ADDRESS[1]: 2.68.73.130/30
IP4.GATEWAY: 2.68.73.129
IP4.ROUTE[1]: dst = 2.68.73.128/30, nh = 0.0.0.0, mt = 700
IP4.ROUTE[2]: dst = 0.0.0.0/0, nh = 2.68.73.129, mt = 700
IP4.DNS[1]: 80.251.201.177
IP4.DNS[2]: 80.251.201.178
IP6.ADDRESS[1]: 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:1060:3dff:feac:e92f/64
IP6.ADDRESS[2]: 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:6474:7254:7b72:eb09/64
IP6.GATEWAY: 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:21e6:9049:6cfb:8ac3
IP6.ROUTE[1]: dst = ff00::/8, nh = ::, mt = 256, table=255
IP6.ROUTE[2]: dst = 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11::/64, nh = ::, mt = 700
IP6.ROUTE[3]: dst = ::/0, nh = fe80::21e6:9049:6cfb:8ac3, mt = 1024
IP6.ROUTE[4]: dst = 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11::/64, nh = ::, mt = 256
IP6.ROUTE[5]: dst = ::/0, nh = 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:21e6:9049:6cfb:8ac3, mt = 700
IP6.DNS[1]: 2a02:aa0::55
IP6.DNS[2]: 2a02:aa0::56
nmcli connection show
NAME UUID TYPE DEVICE
3-sweden e946017f-2e9c-477b-89ad-4c31e7331d65 gsm cdc-wdm0
Ifconfig should now show the related IP address details already set to the network interface by NetworkManager:
ifconfig
wwan0: flags=4291 mtu 1500
inet 2.68.73.130 netmask 255.255.255.252 broadcast 2.68.73.131
inet6 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:6474:7254:7b72:eb09 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x0
inet6 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:1060:3dff:feac:e92f prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x0
ether 12:60:3d:ac:e9:2f txqueuelen 1000 (Ethernet)
RX packets 186 bytes 10886 (10.8 KB)
RX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 frame 0
TX packets 5 bytes 480 (480.0 B)
TX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 carrier 0 collisions 0
You can now for example test the connection over the network interface by sending ping requests.
Testing IPV4 connection:
ping -4 -I wwan0 8.8.8.8
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) from 2.68.73.130 wwan0: 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=118 time=55.8 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=118 time=45.4 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=118 time=42.9 ms
--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2003ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 42.918/48.053/55.845/5.601 ms
Testing IPV6 connection: (if your cellular device, network subscription and APN supports it)
ping -6 -I wwan0 2600::
PING 2600::(2600::) from 2a02:aa1:1017:6d11:1060:3dff:feac:e92f wwan0: 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=1 ttl=46 time=172 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=2 ttl=46 time=171 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=3 ttl=46 time=169 ms
64 bytes from 2600::: icmp_seq=4 ttl=46 time=168 ms
--- 2600:: ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3004ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 167.921/170.037/172.272/1.651 ms
The connection is successful and automatic reconnect is working when testing to unplug and plug in the device again.
For additional configurations, commands and available attributes, please relate to the manual pages for NetworkManager and ModemManager.
Troubleshooting logs:
NetworkManager and ModemManager write log messages to the Linux syslog file /var/log/syslog.
In case of problems with establishing a cellular data connection, please copy the logfile after the problem have appeared and include it in a Techship technical support ticket.
In some situations more detailed debug logs are needed, these can be acquired by changing the log levels for NetworkManager and ModemManager and run them manually.
To capture debug logs, please first disable and stop the normal services:
systemctl stop NetworkManager ModemManager
systemctl disable NetworkManager ModemManager
Run them manually in background with debug level set:
/usr/sbin/ModemManager --log-level=DEBUG &> /dev/null &
/usr/sbin/NetworkManager --log-level=DEBUG &
Reproduce the cellular data connection problem.
Once completed, kill the processes:
killall -TERM NetworkManager ModemManager
Copy the relate messages in syslog to a mm-nm-sys-debug.log logfile:
grep -E 'ModemManager|NetworkManager|systemd|dbus-daemon|dhclient' /var/log/syslog > mm-nm-sys-debug.log
Activate and start the services again:
systemctl enable NetworkManager ModemManager
systemctl start NetworkManager ModemManager
Include the mm-nm-sys-debug.log in a technical support ticket at Techship.com where you describe the issue in details and include other relevant information also such as kernel version, ModemManager and NetworkManager versions, dmesg log etc.
How to collect initial diagnostics data and logs for Huawei cellular modules needed when requesting Techship technical support?
In order to troubleshoot and solve a technical problem, we ask you to please provide information about your system and logs from the related Huawei module when creating a technical support ticket.
Problem description of what exact problem is and in what precise situations present
Describe the host system:
-Hardware (system board, peripherals...)
-Operating system and detailed versions (E.g. Windows, Linux release, kernel...)
-Drivers and driver versions
Identify the precise details of cellular module found on label:
-Model
-SKU/BOM or P/N code
(For RMA returns the IMEI number is required also)
If you are running on a Linux based system, please capture the terminal logs bellow:
uname -a
lsusb
lsusb -t
ifconfig -a
ls -l /dev/serial/by-id
ls -l /sys/bus/usb-serial/devices
dmesg
The logs from module firmware can be acquired by accessing one of the USB enumerated serial (COM) interfaces accepting AT commands. (In Windows this is the PC UI serial interface). Send the following commands to module and capture the text output and include them when creating the the technical support ticket.
ATI
ATE1
AT+CMEE=2
AT+CFUN?
AT+CPIN?
AT^SYSINFOEX
AT^SYSCFGEX?
AT^HCSQ?
AT+CREG?
AT+CGREG?
AT+CEREG?
AT+COPS?
AT+CGDCONT?
AT^AUTHDATA?
AT+CGCONTRDP
AT+CGPADDR
AT+CGATT?
AT+CGACT?
AT^NDISDUP?
AT^NDISSTATQRY?
AT^DHCP?
AT^DHCPV6?
AT^CHIPTEMP?
AT^THERMFUN?
AT^FOTAMODE?
The support ticket can be created after login at: https://techship.com/technical_support/
How to activate the data connection for Huawei cellular modules over the USB network interface in Linux?
The first step is to assure that the Huawei cellular module is properly loaded in the Linux system. Huawei modules are most often automatically detected in recent Linux kernels, this can be verified in different ways by commands bellow:
The lsusb command shows what physical USB devices are detected in the Linux operating system:
lsusb
root@support-up2:~# lsusb
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 12d1:1f1a Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
The lsusb -t command shows the USB endpoints exposed by the detected USB devices and the related drivers loaded for them:
lsusb -t
...
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 0, Class=Communications, Driver=cdc_ether, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 1, Class=CDC Data, Driver=cdc_ether, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 2, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=option, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 3, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=option, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 4, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=option, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 5, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=option, 480M
|__ Port 4: Dev 5, If 6, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=option, 480M
The dmesg lists all the driver loading logs since system boot up:
dmesg
usb 1-4: new high-speed USB device number 6 using xhci_hcd
usb 1-4: New USB device found, idVendor=12d1, idProduct=1f1a, bcdDevice= 1.02
usb 1-4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
usb 1-4: Product: HUAWEI Mobile V7R11
usb 1-4: Manufacturer: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
usb 1-4: SerialNumber: 0123456789ABCDEF
cdc_ether 1-4:2.0 usb0: register 'cdc_ether' at usb-0000:00:15.0-4, CDC Ethernet Device, 02:1e:10:1f:00:00
option 1-4:2.2: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-4: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB0
option 1-4:2.3: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-4: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB1
option 1-4:2.4: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-4: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2
option 1-4:2.5: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-4: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB3
option 1-4:2.6: GSM modem (1-port) converter detected
usb 1-4: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB4
Enable the USB network interface in Linux host:
ip link set dev usb0 up
The command ifconfig list all network interfaces loaded in the Linux system, the cellular module interface can be named differently depending on the distribution used but generally named usb0, wwan0 etc. initially.
ifconfig usb0
usb0: flags=4163 mtu 1500
inet6 2a02:aa1:1601:d0da:1e:10ff:fe1f:0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x0
inet6 fe80::1e:10ff:fe1f:0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x20
ether 02:1e:10:1f:00:00 txqueuelen 1000 (Ethernet)
RX packets 120 bytes 6335 (6.3 KB)
RX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 frame 0
TX packets 11 bytes 946 (946.0 B)
TX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 carrier 0 collisions 0
the command ls can list the USB serial interfaces detected:
ls /dev/ttyUSB*
/dev/ttyUSB0 /dev/ttyUSB1 /dev/ttyUSB2 /dev/ttyUSB3 /dev/ttyUSB4
Once this far we can now start communicate with the cellular module over AT commands. There are different applications available in Linux that enables manual communication with serial interfaces:
minicom -D /dev/ttyUSB2
socat - /dev/ttyUSB2,crnl
etc.
Try writing to the modem/AT serial interface initially the command "AT" it should return you OK:
AT
OK
Enable input command echo:
ATE1
OK
Print general information about cellular module
ATI
Manufacturer: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Model: ME909s-120
Revision: 11.617.06.00.00
IMEI: 867377020520569
+GCAP: +CGSM,+DS,+ES
OK
Enter the SIM PIN code if such is needed for the SIM card inserted.
AT+CPIN=1234
OK
Define the operator APN name related to your operators data subscription
AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","data.tre.se"
+CPIN: READY
OK
Check that you have acquired network registration
AT+CREG?
+CREG: 0,1
OK
Activate the data connection over for the network interface visible to host system using APN profile 1 previously created.
AT^NDISDUP=1,1,
OK
^NDISSTAT: 1,,,"IPV4"
^NDISSTAT: 1,,,"IPV6"
Once ^NDISSTAT:1,,,"IPV4" or (^NDISSTAT: 1,,,"IPV6" or if IPv6) is returned it indicates that you now have a active data connection to the network operator over either IPv4 or IPv6 or both.
You can then use a DHCP client in your host system to request the IP address from the cellular network:
dhclient -v usb0
Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client 4.3.5
Copyright 2004-2016 Internet Systems Consortium.
All rights reserved.
For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
Listening on LPF/usb0/02:1e:10:1f:00:00
Sending on LPF/usb0/02:1e:10:1f:00:00
Sending on Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on usb0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 3 (xid=0xfe313f69)
DHCPREQUEST of 2.69.217.204 on usb0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 (xid=0x693f31fe)
DHCPOFFER of 2.69.217.204 from 2.69.217.201
DHCPACK of 2.69.217.204 from 2.69.217.201
bound to 2.69.217.204 -- renewal in 244094 seconds.
You now have a working cellular network data connection in your Linux system.
It can be tested e.g. by using ping over the specific network interface:
ping -4 -I usb0 www.google.com
PING www.google.com (74.125.131.147) from 2.69.217.204 usb0: 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from lu-in-f147.1e100.net (74.125.131.147): icmp_seq=1 ttl=46 time=115 ms
64 bytes from lu-in-f147.1e100.net (74.125.131.147): icmp_seq=2 ttl=46 time=54.5 ms
64 bytes from lu-in-f147.1e100.net (74.125.131.147): icmp_seq=3 ttl=46 time=51.6 ms
64 bytes from lu-in-f147.1e100.net (74.125.131.147): icmp_seq=4 ttl=46 time=49.4 ms
^C
--- www.google.com ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3005ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 49.486/67.774/115.379/27.544 ms
This is the basic way of bringing up the network interface. Additional checks and probing should be added in the control software or script if the process is to be automated. For scripting e.g. Python or other language can be used to setup the connection.
How to install Huawei drivers in Windows 10 for modules with Qualcomm chipset?
First install this driver from product page.
Huawei drivers V.4.25.45.08 for Windows
Afterwards open Windows Device Manager and locate HUAWEI named device(s) with warning sign that are not installed correctly.
Right click on each of them and select update driver software...
Select Browse my computer for driver software.
Locate the folder under C:\Program Files (x86)\HUAWEI M2M Driver\Driver\ or the install files folder, select include sub folders also and click next.
Now the drivers should get installed by the system.
You will have to repeat the procedure for all Huawei devices in Device Manager with warning signs.
Now you will have have a working Huawei Qualcomm based module and you can connect to internet with Windows built-in connection manager or Huaweis Mobile Partner software.
I want to use the ME909u-521 with LTE radio access technology only.
I use the command AT^SYSCFGEX="03",40000000,2,4,40000000,"","" or similar, but the module won't lock to LTE only.
Why?
For modules with firmware 12.631.07.00.00 to 12.631.07.01.00
Since voice was included as a feature in this firmware, Huawei have removed the feature to lock to LTE only. The reason is that the majority of the current LTE networks doesn't support VoLTE (voice over LTE). The way the ME909u-521 solves this is by using a technology called Circuit Switched Fallback. This requires the use of the WCDMA or GSM network. Therefore the module won't allow blocking theses technologies.
For modules with firmware 12.636.11.01.00 and forward
The problem with voice still exists, so the module will need to do a Circuit Switched Fallback to handle this. With this firmware, Huawei introduced the command AT^CEUS, which can set the module in either data centric mode (1) or voice centric mode (0). If the module is in data centric mode, there will be no need to use the voice feature. Then the module can be locked to LTE. If you want to use the voice feature of the ME909u-521, you cannot lock to LTE at the moment.
I want to use the diagnostic port on the ME909u-521. Can I do so?
The diagnostic port was open on the ME909u-521 until the firmware 12.636.11.01.00. If you want to use the diagnostic port you'll need to contact us so we can give you the shell codes to unlock the module. The shell codes are generated by the IMEI number on the module.
The command to open the diagnostic port is the command AT^SHLOCK. Send the AT Command AT^SHLOCK=1, to open the diagnostic port. The port will close when the module is power cycled or restarted.